must I shave my beard to get a job? by Alison Green on January 8, 2010 A reader writes: I am currently looking for employment in the fields of engineering and mathematics. I am educated, well spoken, well presented, male and I have facial hair. This is not “stylish stubble” or due to laziness; it’s a full beard. What are your (and your readers’) thoughts on beards at the point of […] Read the full article →
dealing with ignorant coworkers by Alison Green on January 7, 2010 A reader writes: I grew up in a very poor neighborhood. Every time people at my office start talking about their background and where they grew up, I tend to avoid the question by changing the topic. I can’t relate to everyone in the office. I still have a lot of family members who live […] Read the full article →
you, doing something good by Alison Green on January 7, 2010 As someone who has always worked for nonprofits, this is a cause near to my heart: The Taproot Foundation has a new campaign encouraging people in pretty much any line of work to contribute their professional talents to nonprofit organizations. People usually think of pro bono work as just being for lawyers, but there’s no […] Read the full article →
how do you handle bad employer behavior while job searching? by Alison Green on January 6, 2010 Back in August, I posed the question: How late is too late for a job candidate to arrive for an interview? It generated interesting comments from interviewers on how much lateness they’ll tolerate and why, and from job seekers with thoughts of their own. Yesterday, a reader named bawigga contributed this comment: To flip the […] Read the full article →
backing out of a promise to be a reference by Alison Green on January 5, 2010 A reader writes: How do you renege on a promise? I gave a problem employee a promise to be a reference and even wrote one up for her. I am new to management and came by it unprepared. I became pregnant last year and am now a new mom and running a small retail store. […] Read the full article →
marital status in a cover letter by Alison Green on January 5, 2010 A reader writes: My husband and I moved to Denver from New York in May 2008. We are now headed back to New York due to my husband’s job situation. I am starting to send out resumes to find a job in NY, and in my cover letter I want to address why my current […] Read the full article →
what bad job news were you later grateful for? by Alison Green on January 2, 2010 Sometimes bad news is really good news, although we don’t know it at the time. For instance: * You’re fired from a job and as a result end up in one that’s far better for you. * You don’t get a job offer from the company you hoped would give you one, which means that […] Read the full article →
company halted offer due to criminal conviction – which I disclosed by Alison Green on January 1, 2010 A reader writes: I recently interviewed for a position, and before I was scheduled for an in-person interview, I was asked to fill out an official application. I did so, being completely honest in the background questions that I have a misdemeanor on my criminal record. They had the usual disclaimer saying “this is not […] Read the full article →